McLellan: Government Wants Legalization Running “No Later Than 6 Months Before the Next Election”

In a private meeting yesterday in downtown Toronto, the Honourable Anne McLellan, Chair of the government’s Task Force on Cannabis Legalization and Regulation, spoke with various stakeholders in legalization to provide updates on the process and timeline.

McLellan, who is also a Senior Advisor at Bennett Jones LLP, an international law firm based in Canada, spoke at the Bennett Jones office in downtown Toronto, along with Hugo Alves, a Senior Partner at BJ. Bennett Jones also represents numerous businesses operating in Canada’s medical cannabis space.

Mclellan told attendees to expect legislation earlier than later, and that the government wants legalization in place “no later than six months before the next election”.

Key points from the meeting are below.

Expect the legislation earlier rather than later. Spring window is April-June. McLellan was confident it would be on the early end of this window.

Government wants legalization/adult-use running “no later than 6 months before the next election.”